Saniya Gonsalves

Known for its strong commitment to technical education and collaborative learning, Xavier Institute of Engineering (XIE) has extended its efforts to its sister institutions in Africa through its recent collaborations with the South African Jesuit Universities. XIE collaborated with Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare and Koshyam Jesuit University of Science in Burkina Faso, as well as others with a view to provide these South African Jesuit Colleges with an access to a wealth of educational resources, innovative technologies, and technical training.

This was facilitated through the faculty exchange programs, where some of XIE's faculty members volunteered to impart their expertise on technical subjects with the faculty members at these institutions by conducting training sessions and discussions for them. The launching event of this collaborative venture was the first collaboration with Koshyam Jesuit University of Science, Burkina Faso, held from 01-23 June 2023 where the Director of XIE, Fr. Dr. John Rose SJ inaugurated the training session and Dr. Jaychand Upadhyay led a month-long course on “Joy of Python”. Concurrently, Prof. Tejal Deshpande and Prof. Stella J conducted a two-week training session on the "Internet of Things" at Arrupe Jesuit University from 06-16 June 2023. And the following year, Dr. Vaishali Gaikwad and Prof. Stella J offered a two-week training on "Cyber Security" at the same university from 03-16 June 2024.

These collaborative efforts organized with a view of enhancing the employability of graduates from African institutions through a more globally-relevant education and reducing the technology gap between African and developed nations by giving students and faculty access to modern technological tools whilst promoting intercultural understanding, has benefitted both the institutions. Following the positive feedback and promising outcomes from these past collaborations, XIE is all set to have more collaborative sessions this year. In November 2024, Dr. Vaishali Gaikwad and Prof. Stella J will deliver a two-week training session on "Python and Cyber Security" at Koshyam Jesuit University of Science, Burkina Faso; and Prof. Suhas Lawand and Prof. Mishil Patel will deliver a training on "Python programming" in Lagos, Nigeria. To encourage this spirit of collaborative learning rooted in the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm, the arrangements of these collaborations are financially supported by the Jesuit Higher Education Secretariat in Rome. This outreach by Xavier Institute of Engineering to its sister institutions in Africa aims to be a promising step toward strengthening global educational networks and ensuring inclusive access to high-quality technical education.

- Saniya Gonsalves, XIE, Mumbai.